


A Little Help

by parsda



Category: Stephanie Plum - Janet Evanovich
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-04
Updated: 2016-07-04
Packaged: 2018-07-21 13:49:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 20,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7389484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/parsda/pseuds/parsda
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steph and Ranger deal (or not deal) with their feelings toward each other with a little help from their friends.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Little Help

Title: A Little Help  
Category: Books » Janet Evanovich  
Author: parsda  
Language: English, Rating: Rated: T  
Genre: Romance/Angst  
Published: 05-02-16, Updated: 06-23-16  
Chapters: 18, Words: 19,489

**Chapter 1**

Stephanie watched as the guys put the FTA in the back of the SUV and heard them tell Ranger they would drop him off at the police station on the way back to RangeMan. Ranger wasn't really paying attention to them, but rather he was staring at Stephanie. Stephanie was standing by Lester, talking about how easy the distraction had been tonight. Lester was teasing her about how fast she was getting and maybe they needed to find someone harder for her to lure out of the club. As he stood there with her, he couldn't help but see how Ranger was looking at Stephanie. He noticed that she was looking at Ranger exactly the same way. He just wished they would get their shit together and admit how they feel about each other.

To give his cousin a push in the right direction, he grabbed Steph's hand and drug her back into the club, telling Ranger to join them as they walked past him.

Ranger didn't want to spend the evening with Lester, but he wanted to spend more time with Stephanie. He didn't want to give into his feelings for her but when the opportunity to spend some time alone with her came up, he couldn't say no. They spent a couple hours dancing and enjoying each other's company. By the time the club was closing down, Lester was nowhere to be found. Steph found a text from him on her phone letting her know that he was headed home with a girl her found at the club. He said that he was sure Ranger would give her ride home and he hoped that her and Ranger would finally give in and spend the night together.

Ranger opened the car door to give Steph a ride home and dropped a kiss on her forehead before he closed the door. He walked around to the driver's side, got in and started driving. He was almost back to her apartment when she finally spoke to him.

"What's going on with us Ranger?"

"What do you mean?"

"It was great to spend time with you tonight after the take down. I felt like you were finally opening up to me and now, you're back to your blank face and driving me home. Did you ever think to ask if I even wanted to go home?"

"Where else would you go Babe? Do you want me to take you to Morelli's house instead?"

"God, how can you even ask that? You know I haven't been with Joe for months and that we're just friends. Did you ever think that I'd want to spend the night with you at your apartment? I don't know what I was thinking that maybe we could finally be more than just coworkers."

By this time, they were in her apartment parking lot and he parked right next to her car. He got out, opened her door and walked her to her door. When she opened it and went in, Joe was sitting on her couch.

"I guess that answers your question Babe, see you later." With that he walked out the door towards the stairs.

Steph ran after him, grabbing his arm, and said, "Ranger, please come back. You have no idea what you're talking about Ranger, if you would just let me explain what's going on, we could try to make this work."

"Babe, I need to go, I'll talk to you later."

He pulled his arm away and then turned to walk down the stairs. She tried to call after him, but found that she was on the verge of tears, so she just stood and watched him leave and then slowly walked back into her apartment. Joe looked at her and started to say something but she held up her hand to stop him and just looked at him, sighed loudly, and walked into her bedroom, shutting the door behind her. She didn't even bother to change her clothes, just kicked off her shoes and flopped on the bed.

**Chapter 2**

Morning came far too early for Stephanie. After a restless night in bed, she was not looking forward to a day of work at RangeMan. She glanced at the clock and forced herself to get dressed and walk out into the kitchen. Joe was still sleeping on the couch when she got her coffee made and fed Rex part of a bagel. She grabbed the coffee and rest of the bagel and headed out the door.

Lester was getting out of his car and headed towards the door to the stairs when Steph pulled into the parking garage at RangeMan. He turned around when he saw her get out of her car and realized that his plan for her and Ranger did not happen. He waited for her to walk towards him and was shocked to see how sad she looked. He met her at the door and pulled her into a big hug. Dropping a kiss on her forehead, he raised an eyebrow at her, silently asking about the previous night.

"I don't want to talk about Les. Just leave it be for today and maybe I will feel like talking tonight."

"Sure thing Beautiful. Let's meet after work and you can tell me what's going on that's got you looking so sad."

Somehow Steph got through the day. Lester must have put the word out to leave her alone because none of the guys bothered her during the day. She worked all morning on searches, ate lunch alone at her desk and put in the required time at the gun range and in the gym. After her time in the gym, she realized she left all of her shower stuff in the bathroom of Ranger's apartment on the 7th floor. She always used his shower after her time in the gym because they didn't have a woman's locker room in the building. She didn't want to go to 7 and risk running into Ranger, but she needed a shower.

As she was trying to decide what to do, Lester came into the gym for his workout. He stopped and arched an eyebrow at her, silently asking her what was happening.

"I usually shower on 7, but I don't feel comfortable up there right now. I don't really want to invade the locker room and scare the guys that are in the shower right now."

"Take my key and head up to my apartment on 4 and use my shower. I'll be down here for about an hour so I won't get in your way."

"Thanks Les, you're a good friend."

Les smiled at her, wiggling his eyebrows and said "I can be an even better friend if you let me."

Steph just grabbed the key, laughed at him, dropped a kiss on his cheek and headed for the elevator. When the elevator opened at the gym, she got on and realized that Ranger was in the elevator already, probably heading to his office. She looked at him, let out a sigh and pushed the button for 4 and waited for the door to shut. She tried not to look at Ranger, but she could feel him staring at her.

When the elevator stopped at 4, Steph got out and headed to Lester's apartment. Ranger stood with the elveator door open, watching her walk out. He couldn't believe she was heading to Lester's apartment. First Morelli, and now Lester?

After a quick shower, Steph went back to her desk and worked on searches until it was time for the staff meeting. She was dreading the thought of being in a meeting with Ranger and hoped that the time would go fast and he wouldn't look at her. Les stopped by her desk to remind her of the meeting and they walked into the conference room together. He was trying to make her smile, but as soon as she saw Ranger sitting there, she panicked and turned around, trying to leave the room. Les stopped her, gave her a hug and whispered in her ear that it would be okay. He dropped a kiss on her forehead and pushed her into a seat and sat down in the chair next to her. Ranger watched all of this with a raised eyebrow, but he didn't say anything.

Finally the meeting was over and it was time to head out for the day. Steph closed down her computer and grabbed her bag. Just as she headed towards the elevator, Lester came running after her and said "Don't tell me you forgot about meeting me after work Beautiful."

"Les, I'm really tired and just want to go home. Can we do this another night?"

"Steph, how about if I just grab a pizza and come over to your apartment. I can be at your place in about an hour."

"Ok Les,"

Ranger was standing in the hallway by his office and overhead what was said between Lester and Steph. Steph got in the elevator and he turned around to see Lester staring at him. He turned around and headed back into his office, slamming the door shut once he got inside.

Les heard a loud crash from Ranger's office and he gave a smirk and headed to his apartment to get changed for dinner with Steph.

**Chapter 3**

Lester juggled the pizza box and six pack of beer while he tried to knock on Steph's door. He yelled for her to open the door and it opened a minute later. He can't say he was prepared to see Joe Morelli opening the door, but he thought he put his blank face on quick enough that Morelli didn't notice his surprise. Morelli was balancing on a pair of crutches, wearing a pair of cut of sweat pants and a t-shirt.

"Santos. Steph said you were stopping by tonight."

Before Lester could reply, Steph walked out of the bedroom wearing a pair of sweats and one of Ranger's t-shirts that he left on a previous visit. She came over and helped Lester with the food and put it on the coffee table. She walked into the kitchen to grab plates and the roll of paper towels.

"Morelli, what's up?"

"Knee surgery last week and I needed a place to stay until I'm cleared by the doctor to deal with the stairs in my house. Steph offered her couch and this way I can keep the stalkers out while I'm staying here. It was a much better option than moving back in with my mother and grandmother."

Lester opened a beer and grabbed a slice of pizza before it all clicked in his mind. He turned to Steph and almost giggled.

"Les?"

"Morelli's staying with you and Ranger flipped last night when he saw him, right?"

"He didn't give me a chance to explain why Joe was there; he just blank faced me and left."

Eventually Lester stopped laughing enough and motioned for Steph to keep talking. While they ate, Steph filled him and Joe in on the previous night and everything Lester saw today made sense. He told Steph about Ranger overhearing their plans for tonight and he must have assumed she was now dating Lester. He was laughing so hard he could hardly get out the part about the temper tantrum he heard going on in Ranger's office. Joe couldn't believe what he was hearing, he knew how Steph felt about Ranger and he was almost 100% certain that Ranger felt the same way.

"Oh brother, he really needs to hear the truth about Joe but I doubt he'll talk to me right now. I know I did everything I could to avoid him today and he didn't seem to make an effort to talk to me."

"Don't worry, Beautiful. We'll figure it out and make him get his shit together."

They sat and talked about how to deal with Ranger and then finally Lester decided to call it a night. Opening the door, she walked him out the stairs and gave him a big hug and kiss. He gave her cheek a kiss and said that everything will work out and then left.

Les plotted the whole way home how to deal with Ranger. When he pulled into the parking garage, Ranger was standing in the stairwell, just waiting and watching.

Lester got out of his car and headed to the stairs to go to his apartment. Ranger followed him and before he reached the stairwell, he was pushed up against the wall.

"Why was Steph in your apartment earlier today? Why did you over to her apartment tonight? "

"That's none of your business. You gave up your right to know what's going on with Steph when you walked away last night without hearing the entire story."

"What are you doing Lester?"

"I could ask you the same thing Ranger."

"What I do is none of your concern."

"I'm not leaving until you tell me why you are destroying the best thing that's ever happened to you, hell, she's the best thing that's ever happened to all of us. She is our sunshine and today, when she came into work, she looked like she lost her best friend."

"She is still with Morelli and I can't stand by and watch anymore Lester. And now, she's apparently starting something with you, too."

"You dumbass, she is not with Morelli and hasn't been with him for months. I went over tonight to check on her and make sure she ate dinner and so I could find out what's troubling her. Last night when I left the club, you two looked like you were finally headed in the right direction. What the hell happened?"

"If that's the truth, why was Morelli on her couch when I took her home last night?"

"Did you ask her about it, or did you just slam down the blank face and get out as fast as you could? For as smart of a soldier that you are, you are a real jackass when it comes to romance."

With that, Lester left and stomped up the stairs to his apartment door. Once in his apartment, he texted Bobby and Tank to come over. Once they arrived, he broke open a six pack of beer, split it three ways and then spilled the whole story to them and they looked shocked. They were talking when Lester's phone signaled an incoming text. It was from Morelli, he said Steph went to bed after Lester left and he could hear her crying but she wouldn't let him the bedroom to check on her. Les decided a good night call was in order. He called and she answered after a few rings. He could hear that she'd been crying in her voice.

"Beautiful, I just wanted to call and check on you before I get some sleep."

"Thanks Les, I'm getting ready to go to bed. I've decided that I have to survive this somehow and move on with my life. Do you know if any of the guys would want to go out with me?"

"Steph, don't talk like that, we'll get Ranger to come around and see his mistake. We can talk some more tomorrow, ok?"

"Ok, thanks Les. See you in the morning."

Lester hung up and turned to Tank and Bobby.

"Ok men, we have to figure out how to get them together to talk and deal with this problem. She wants to move on with her life and wanted to know if any of the guys here would go out with her. Everyone meet back here tomorrow night and we'll come up with a plan. I'll text Morelli and see if he has any ideas. Operation Get-Their-Shit-Together is a go. Not a word to Ranger or Steph."

Sitting back on the couch, Lester let out a small chuckle. Ranger won't know what hit him when they get done with him.

**Chapter 4**

After Lester left, Steph flopped back on the couch.

"I just don't know what's going on anymore with me and Ranger. I know he was upset seeing you here last night, but…I'm sorry Joe, I just feel weird talking to you about Ranger. I'm going to go to bed now. I'll be home at lunch to take you to your doctor's appointment so make sure you're ready."

"Ok Steph, try to have a good sleep."

Joe could hear Steph in her bedroom crying and he went and knocked on her door.

"Steph, can I come in?"

"Joe, please just leave me alone. I just want to be alone."

"Ok, just let me know if I can get you anything."

Joe hobbled back to the couch and was getting ready to go to bed when he decided to send Lester a text about Steph. A few minutes later, he could hear her cell phone ring in the bedroom. He could hear her softly talking and then silence followed by more crying. His phone signaled an incoming text. He read the text from Lester and smiled at the words he read.

The next morning, Steph got ready for work and left before Joe woke up. She left him a note reminding him of his doctor's appointment.

Steph pulled into the parking garage at the same time that Ranger and Tank did, obviously coming back from getting an FTA picked up. Tank got out and smiled at her and reminded her about an upcoming meeting that she was presenting information at regarding a new program they were using searches. She nodded back to him and just stared at Ranger. He stared at her, but said nothing. She let out a loud sigh and walked to the elevator.

Somehow she got through the morning, including the meeting where she spoke about the new search program. She tried hard to not look at Ranger while she was speaking, but she couldn't seem to break her gaze at him. More than once, Lester had to poke her in the arm so she would answer questions from the other guys. Ranger said nothing during the meeting and when it was over, he walked back to his office and shut the door. Steph went back to her desk and worked until it was finally time to leave to take Joe to his appointment.

She stopped by Tank's office to tell him she was heading out for Joe's appointment and she might go past her allotted lunch time, but he said he had no problem with the extra time off.

She got back to her apartment and when she got in the door, Morelli was still sitting on her couch, watching television. She helped him up and down the elevator to her car. She drove the doctor's office in silence and waited for him in the lobby until his appointment was over. He came out all smiles.

"I've made enough improvement to start therapy so I can go home again and get out of your way."

"Joe, you're not in my way. It was nice to have someone to come home to at night."

"I agree, but we know I'm not who you want to see when you get home at night. Let's go get my stuff packed up and you can drop me off at home."

When she got back to the office, Ranger was waiting for her at her desk. He had been waiting for her to return after lunch and noticed that she went well over the allotted time. She looked at him and all he said was "mats after shift". He turned and walked away before she could say anything to him. She immediately went to Tank's office and told him about what Ranger just said. He huffed and said he'd take care of it. He walked into Ranger's office and was fuming when he came back out. He went over to her and told her to go to the gym. Ranger decided to start enforcing one of the company regulations and since she didn't follow it, she had to deal with the consequences. Apparently all time off requests must go through Ranger and since this one didn't he was calling her, as well as Tank, to the mats. She looked shocked but went back to work and after her shift was over, she went to change into her gym clothes in Lester's apartment. He had made sure she had a key to his place and had told her to use it whenever she needed.

When she got to the gym, Tank and Ranger were sparing on the mats. She stood and watched for a few minutes before stretching. A few minutes later, Tank walked over, apologized to her and went in the locker room to shower. She walked to the mats and met Ranger in the middle. There were no words exchanged at first, but the longer he was quiet, the madder she became and then she started talking.

"Tank is my direct supervisor, not you."

"It's my company so I can make whatever rules I want and how to enforce them."

"What about the rest of the core team? They own part of the company too, they should get a say in your stupid rules."

"I am the majority owner so I get to make the rules."

Back in the control room, Bobby, Tank and Lester were watching the gym monitor. They couldn't believe that Ranger had called her to the mats. They had the volume up as loud as it could go, but they were still having problems hearing what Steph and Ranger were talking about it since it was almost at a whisper. They watched as Steph tried multiple times to take Ranger down on the mat. She came close a few times, and finally out of frustration, she kneed him in the crotch and when he went down, she leaned over and said something very quietly to him. She then turned to the camera, shared a hand gesture and the stalked out of the gym.

The guys all cringed as soon as her knee made contact and then let out a whoop when she made the hand gesture. Lester took off after her and caught up with her in the stairwell. He gave her a hug, a brief kiss on the lips and then pushed her into his apartment to shower. He went back downstairs and met the other guys with a smile on his face.

"Boys, we didn't do anything about this situation and at least they are now talking to each other. Although we need to have Hector enhance the tape so we can find out what was all said."

Tank smirked and said "Speak for yourself Lester, I lied to Ranger and told him I had no idea that Steph wanted extra time off at lunch. I knew he'd do something about it since I told him it was for Morelli and I wanted to give him a push. I didn't think he'd call her to the mats though."

"Genius man, I wish I would have thought of it. Don't forget to come to my apartment after shift so can plot some more fun for those two."

**Chapter 5**

That night after shift, the three guys brainstormed all of the ways they could get Steph and Ranger alone in different situations where they would have to talk to each other. Bobby said he had a surveillance shift scheduled with Ranger that he would guilt Steph into taking, claiming he had a medical emergency to handle. Tank had a client meeting with Ranger he could convince Steph to take over for him. Lester was going to try to trap them alone someplace like a conference room or the elevator and lock them in until they talk. While they were talking, Lester's phone rang with a text. It was from Morelli wanting to know if they had any updates. They decided to include him on speakerphone. Morelli listened to their ideas and said he'd come up with one of his own and text them the details.

While the boys were hard at work in Lester's apartment, Steph was at home staring at the tv but not really watching anything. After supper, she took a long bath, slowly making her way through a bottle of wine and thought about what was going on with Ranger. Calling her to the mats for being a few minutes late after lunch was too much. She did revel in the victory of taking him down on the mats, and truly enjoyed the expression on his face when he heard her last comment to him. His own words came back to bite him and it gave her some joy from the way he looked at her after she said it.

Eventually she got into bed and when she reached into the drawer of the night table to find a hair tie, a picture of her and Ranger fell out on the floor. She picked it up and stared at the image of the two of them. It was taken by one of the guys after a distraction a few months ago. Ranger was holding her around the waist looking at her with a twinkle in his eyes and she had her hands on his chest, looking up at him with a smile on her face. Anyone looking at this photo could see the love they had for each other, too bad he couldn't, she thought. She lay in bed, holding the picture with tears running down her cheeks. Eventually she fell asleep and that's how Ranger found her a few hours later when he broke into her apartment.

Ranger took one look at her and his heart broke. He was hesitant to come over tonight, especially after her parting words to him in the gym. He looked at the picture still clutched in her hand and noticed the tears tracks on her cheeks from before and saw that there were new tears coming down on her face while she slept. He opened his wallet and pulled out the same photo. He was so confused about how he felt and didn't know what to do. He ached to crawl into bed with her and hold her to stop the tears from falling. He ended up sitting in the chair in her bedroom, holding onto his copy of the photo and just watched her sleep. He thought about all of the stupid things he's said in the past to her and wished he could just turn back time to that first day in the diner and change the way he acted towards her. The first time he saw her, he felt something that he'd never felt before, but he pushed it away.

Steph eventually woke up having felt the tingle on the back of her neck and knew he was there. She was thankful that she was facing the other direction so he couldn't see her face. He sensed that she was awake and got up to leave.

"Ranger?"

"I'm sorry Babe, I shouldn't be here."

"Wait, you don't have to go. I think we need to talk."

"Not tonight Babe."

With that, he walked out of the bedroom. She just laid there, tears falling harder down her face, her sobs getting louder after she heard the front door close and lock behind him. Ranger stood outside in the hallway, leaning against the door, with his hand on the knob, willing himself to go back inside to her. He could hear her crying through the door. He knew they needed to talk, but he was unsure how to tell her how he felt. These feelings were new to him and he didn't know how to deal with it.

When she got out of bed in the morning, she felt like crap. She didn't sleep much after Ranger left and when she was walking into the kitchen to start the coffee, she found the photo of the two of them on the floor by the front door. She went back into her room and found hers still on the bed where she left it last night. She realized Ranger must have had a copy with him and he had left it last night when he left. She was upset when she thought that he didn't want it anymore and left it for her. What she didn't know was that he dropped it on his way out and had no idea it was missing.

She went to get dressed and left for work. As she was driving to work, all she could think about was how she hoped she could avoid Ranger today at the office. Hopefully he would be working out of the office today and she wouldn't have to worry about how to deal with him.

When she got to work, there was an email from Tank asking her to stop by his office before the morning meeting. She knocked on his door and went in and sat down.

"Little girl, what's wrong today? You don't look like yourself."

"I haven't been sleeping very well and it must be catching up with me. Hopefully tonight will be better. What can I do for you, your email said to stop by this morning."

"I am supposed to go out on a client visit this morning at 10, but there's something going on here that I need to take care of, would you be able to go to the meeting for me?"

"Sure, I don't see why not. Did you clear it with Ranger first so I don't have to meet him on the mats again?"

"Just leave Ranger to me. I'll email you the details and what time you should be at the client's office."

With that out of the way, Tank sat behind his desk, strumming his fingers together, with a smile on his face. Lester walked in and asked how it went.

"Easy-peasy. She jumped at the chance to get out of the office, making sure to remind me to clear it with Ranger first so she doesn't have to do mat time again."

Lester laughed and walked out, stopping by Steph's desk.

"Hey Beautiful, how was your night?"

"I've had better Les. I haven't been sleeping well and I had a visitor show up while I was sleeping. He apologized for being there and left before I could really say anything to him."

"I'm sorry, Steph. Do you want me to talk to him?"

"No, I'll figure out how to deal with it. "

Pulling out the photo from her purse, she showed it to Lester.

"He left this behind so I have so I assume he is over us being together and wanted to get rid of any traces of me."

Lester walked away and Steph called Ella to see if she knew where Ranger was because she needed to get her stuff out of his apartment. She didn't have much up there, but since she thought he didn't want anything of hers, she should get her stuff out. Ella said he was out for a bit so she ran up and got her stuff and left it in Lester's apartment. She quickly went through it and saw that she had a suit to wear for the client meeting. She'd go up and change before the meeting. The information from Tank said to just drive herself to the meeting and he could answer any questions she had about the account before she left.

After Steph left, Tank walked into Ranger's office and asked if he could handle the client meeting alone at 10:00 because something came up that required Tank to stay at the office. Ranger looked pissed but said he would take care of it. He changed his clothes, took the information about the client from Tank and took off to the garage.

Tank walked by Lester's office and gave him a thumb's up. He couldn't wait to hear how this ended.

Even though he left a few minutes after Stephanie, Ranger pulled into the client's parking lot at the same time as Steph. He parked and got out of his car and stood and stared at her getting out of her car. She turned around and started at him.

"Ranger, what are you doing here?"

**Chapter 6**

Ranger just stood and stared at her. Steph repeated the question and this time he actually answered her.

"Tank asked me to fill in for him at this meeting. Why are you here?"

"Tank asked me to fill in for him. He must not have remembered if he asked you too. I'll just go back to the office and you can take this meeting."

"Babe, you can stay and we'll both handle the meeting."

With that, he grabbed her elbow and walked her into the building. The meeting went well and they walked out with a signed contract for a security system, not only for this building, but for the company's other 3 locations in the area. Ranger didn't talk much during the meeting, but did allow Steph to take the lead and answer most of the client's questions. They walked out to their cars and Ranger hesitated when he got to Steph's car. To Steph, it seemed like he wanted to say something, but couldn't get the words out. He finally started to speak.

"Babe, would you like to have dinner with me tonight?"

"I don't think that's a good idea so I'll just call it a day and head for home. See you tomorrow Ranger."

With that said, Steph got into her car and drove home. Ranger watched her leave and reluctantly got in his car and drove back to work. When he pulled into the parking garage, Tank was getting out of his car.

"Why did you ask me to cover the meeting if you'd already asked Stephanie?"

"I don't remember asking her to cover today's meeting. Are you sure it was for this meeting and not a different one?"

Tank gave him a look like Ranger didn't know what he was talking about, shook his head and mumbled about someone being overworked and he started towards the elevator. Ranger just got back in his car and drove out the garage. Once Tank got back to his office, he sent the guys an update. Bobby replied that he would take care of the next part of their plan.

The next morning, Steph was at her desk work when Bobby knocked on her desk. She looked up and smiled at him.

"Any chance you could cover for Lester tonight on our surveillance shift? He's got something that's come up and he had to leave the building. He wanted me to ask you if you'd cover for him. I could pick you up about 9:00 tonight and we'd be out until 12:00 or so."

"Sure Bobby, it beats sitting at home alone."

"Be sure to head home earlier and get some sleep if you'll need it for tonight. I'll talk to Tank and let him know about the change to the schedule."

Steph worked a few more hours and then felt the familiar tingle on the back of her neck. She knew Ranger was nearby without ever having to look up from her computer. She needed to get out of the office before he asked her to dinner again. It was almost lunch time so she grabbed her stuff and went in to Tank's office to tell him she was taking off for the day. He told her to get some sleep before Bobby picks her up at 9:00.

Bobby picked her up and they drove to a neighborhood not far from Morelli's house. Bobby gave her the file of the FTA to read over while they watched and waited. About an hour into the shift, Bobby got a text from Lester. Lester needed him right away and was sending someone out to cover Bobby's shift. He told Steph what was going on and she just shrugged and went back to staring out the window. She heard Bobby tell her he'd see her a work in the morning and she didn't pay any attention to who got into the car.

"Babe"

**Chapter 7**

When he spoke, she jumped up and hit her head on the roof the car. She just stared at him and rubbed the top of her head.

"You okay or should I call Bobby to come back and check your head?"

"I'm fine, you just startled me."

They sat in silence for over an hour before Steph starting digging through her bag for a candy bar. She pulled out the photo that Ranger had dropped the other night in her apartment. She was staring at it and then glanced over at him. He was looking out the front window and didn't see her holding the photo. She wanted to give it back to him but didn't know how to bring up the subject of him being in her apartment while she was sleeping. Finally she just shoved it into his lap.

"I think this is yours. I found it after you left the other night." Ranger looked down at the photo and pulled out his wallet. He thanked her and put it back in his wallet.

"You carry that around with you? Why do you have a picture of us in your wallet?"

"My picture, my choice."

Another hour of silence just about did Steph in and she couldn't help but break the silence.

"Do you know what's been going on today? The guys have been acting weird for a few days and today, there was the mix up with the meeting coverage for Tank and now Bobby bailed out on this surveillance shift. Since when does Tank get forgetful and Bobby leaves a shift before it's over? If I didn't know any better, I'd think they were trying to get us alone together."

"What did you say?" Ranger jerked his head around and stared at her.

"Ever since that night of the last distraction job, the guys have been extra nice and have tiptoeing around me. They keep bring up your name whenever they talk to me."

"I think you're right Babe, they're up to something. When I talk to them, they bring up your name. Any idea what they are doing?"

Steph decided to just start talking and if Ranger didn't want to listen, he could leave.

"We need to talk about the other night. You need to know about Joe. We are not dating again, but we are still friends. We had a long talk one night and worked everything out and realized we both wanted different things. We decided that while we'll never date again or get married, we'll always be friends. I talked to Lester about that night and now I think the guys are trying to get us to talk to each other."

"Why was he at your apartment? He looked like he was living there."

"If you would have stayed that night you would have found out. God, you are so stubborn that a part of me doesn't want to tell you. Oh hell, why not? It's not a secret. If you would have just asked anyone in Trenton, they could have told you. Joe had knee surgery a couple weeks ago and was just staying with me so he didn't have to deal with the stairs at his house. He's now been cleared by his doctor to start therapy so he's now back at his own house."

"I'm sorry Babe. I thought everything was going so well with us that night and then to walk in your apartment and find Morelli, it just sent me over the edge. I'm not good with expressing my feelings to start with and I didn't know what to do so I just left. Hell, you confuse me Babe."

"You've got to be kidding me Ranger, I confuse you? Do you know how many times I want to rip your blank face off and see the real you that's underneath the mask? I love you Ranger and I don't want anyone else but you."

When she got done talking, Ranger grabbed her and drug her across the seat into his lap. He kissed her with everything that he had and when he finally let her go they were both out of breath.

"Babe, I love you too. I never knew I could feel like this about anyone. I want you in my life, no, I need you in my life permanently. Will you go out to dinner with me now? Please?"

"Of course I will go out to dinner with you. And then have breakfast with you if you get lucky."

"Babe, what are we going to do with the three idiots that work for me? Only two have done something to us so far, we still have Lester to go."

"As much as I'd like you to stay with me tonight, I think we need to play along and see what they do next. Tomorrow at work just keep the same attitude going and play along with whatever they come up with, sound okay?"

"Sure and when this is over, they will all meet me on the mats for some fun."

At the end of the shift, Ranger dropped Steph off at her apartment and left her with a sizzling kiss. When she got into her apartment, Joe called her phone.

"What's up Joe?"

"Just checking in to see how you're doing. I've been worried about you since your falling out with Ranger."

Steph's spidey senses were going off so she decided to play along and let Joe think that she and Ranger were still on the outs.

"I'm okay, I have to just learn to deal with him as just my boss since he doesn't want anything more. This does, however, leave me free to go after someone else. There's a building full of available guys that I'm sure would like to go out with me."

"What? You can't do that...you love Ranger. Anyone can see that, please Steph don't give up on him."

"It's too late for me and Ranger. I have to move on with my life. I can't wait to get to work tomorrow and see if I can make this happen. I will call you tomorrow night if I have any news to share about a new boyfriend."

Steph hung up with Joe and sent Ranger a text with this information. Something was nagging at her that Joe was involved with the three stooges. He never showed any interest in her dating Ranger and now he can't stop pushing her towards it.

Yes, tomorrow was going to be a great day.

**Chapter 8**

Steph woke up with a smile on her face. Operation Get-the-Guys was going to start as soon as she got to the office. She sent Ranger a text with the plan she came up with last night and his reply was to go for it. He'd help anyway he could without giving anything away to the guys.

She pulled into the garage and Bobby was pulling a box of supplies out of his car. She decided to start the plan right then. She went over and offered to help him with the box. She pushed the button for the elevator and when they were inside, she started rubbing his arms and talking about how big his muscles were and how strong he must be. She told him that now that Ranger was out of the picture, she would have to find someone strong like him. She went on about how much she missed him last night after he left and that it was no fun with Ranger in the car. She gave him one last arm rub and a kiss on the cheek before she got out at the control room. She turned around before the elevator door shut and gave him a big smile and wink. She had a shift on the monitors and knew that it would be entertaining.

Once she sat down at the monitors, she saw Bobby drop the box in his office and run into Tank's office and shut the door. A minute later, Lester went in and the door shut again. She gave a chuckle and pulled up the video and audio from Tank's office. She sent Ranger a text and told him she started their plan already and he needed to watch the feed from Tank's office if he was alone in his office.

Bobby dropped into a chair in Tank's office and waited for Lester. Once they were all there, he told them about how he got Ranger to take his place last night. He said he didn't think that it worked though. Lester wanted to know why and Bobby just let out a big sigh.

"Something is going wrong with our plan. I think Steph is in love with me."

"What?" Lester sat with his mouth hanging open, unable to say anything.

"She was all over me this morning in the elevator, told me that since Ranger was out of the picture, she could find a new boyfriend. She kept touching my arms, telling me about how big my muscles were and then she kissed my cheek. When she walked out of the elevator, she winked at me."

"Wow that was not supposed to happen. I think you should just ignore her and let me work on my plan today and see what happens. Make sure you text Morelli in case we need his help, too."

"Ok, Lester. We'll be watching today. See if you can make it work. Obviously Tank and I didn't make it happen."

Out at the monitors, Steph was laughing so hard she almost fell off her chair. Steph's phone rang and it was Ranger with a text. He wanted to up the stakes after her monitor shift was over and she should make more advances towards Bobby and play along with anything Ranger does today in the office.

Once her shift on the monitors was over, Steph grabbed some lunch in the break room and then headed to the gym. The gym was pretty empty, except for Bobby and Lester. Steph put in her time on the treadmill and then stopped by the mats where Bobby and Lester were sparring.

"Hey guys. Bobby, do you want to go out tonight after work? I haven't been out since that distraction the other night and I'm itching to get back out there and you're the perfect guy to help me. We could grab dinner, hit up a club and then see how the evening ends up."

"Umm, I don't know if that's a good idea Steph."

"Please Bobby? I need to get out and have some fun to forget about Ranger."

Lester gave him a look that said don't do it, but Bobby said he'd let her know at the end of the day.

"Don't keep me waiting too long. If you can't go out with me, I'm sure one of the other guys would want to go out."

With that, Steph dropped a kiss on his cheek and gave him a hug. Lester stood with his mouth hanging open, not saying anything.

Steph went up to Lester's apartment to shower and then headed back to her desk. She would have preferred to go up to 7 to shower, but she had to keep the game going.

Once she got back to her desk, the rest of the guys came back to the floor and were all getting back to work when Ranger came storming into the room. He marched over to Steph's desk and glared at her.

"Stephanie, my office, NOW!"

And with that, he stomped back to his office. Steph made sure she looked horrified, but got up and looked at the guys with tears in her eyes before turning to walk to Ranger's office. She knocked on the open door and walked inside. Ranger got up and slammed the door shut so hard that he caused most of the guys on the floor to jump out of their chairs.

Bobby, Lester and Tank couldn't believe what they just saw. This was not how it supposed to go to get Steph and Ranger alone in the same room. Unfortunately, Ranger cut the feed to his office so they had no idea what was going on.

Inside of Ranger's office, the mood was much better than on the floor. Ranger had Steph up against the wall and was kissing his way down her neck. Steph couldn't help but laugh when she thought about the guys reactions to Ranger's behavior.

"Babe, you shouldn't be laughing while I'm kissing you. It gives a guy a complex."

"Sorry, but I can't help but laugh at the guys. We still have to deal with Lester's plan which I assume will happen faster now since I put the moves on Bobby in the gym. How long should I stay in here?"

"I'll make a few more loud noises and then you can go back to your desk. Think you can throw in a few tears as you walk back? You know the stooges will be right outside the door waiting for you."

With that, Ranger slammed a couple books on his desk to make loud noises and then grabbed Steph and planted a big kiss on her, before opening the door and pushing her out into the hallway while making a disgusted sound to make it sound like he was really mad. Sure enough, the guys were all milling around. She took one look at them and made herself burst into tears. She ran to the bathroom and spent a few minutes trying to get her laughter under control before she went back to her desk.

Bobby was waiting for her at her desk and wanted to make sure she was okay and that Ranger hadn't hurt her.

"I'll be okay. He was still made about Joe being at my apartment and that he keeps getting stuck in situations alone with me. He doesn't want to work with me anymore so I guess I should start looking for a new job. I don't want to leave you and the guys. I love you all so much and it would kill me to leave you, but I don't know how long I can work with Ranger."

"Baby, don't worry, we'll talk to him. I'll be glad to go out with you tonight if you still want to go out."

Steph jumped up and threw herself into Bobby's arms. She hugged him and planted kisses all over his face and agreed to have him pick her up after work. Bobby went off to his office and she sent Ranger a text to give him an update.

**Chapter 9**

While Bobby was in Tank's office updating him and Lester, Steph sneaked into Ranger's office to update him on her plans for the date with Bobby tonight. When he opened the door to let her out, he noticed that Bobby was waiting by Steph's desk. Ranger glared at him while Steph was walking back to her desk. Bobby looked up when Ranger started talking and was shocked by what he said.

Steph walked back to her desk and made herself look sad and almost crying.

"I don't think we should go out tonight, I need to find a new job. He told me that he didn't like the way I acting with you guys, that I was leading you on and I was distracting work by being here. He said that he doesn't want me to go out with anyone here and if I do, he would fire me."

"Baby, let me go talk to him. " And before she could stop him, Bobby headed into Ranger's office.

"Speak." Ranger didn't even look up when the door opened. He knew who it was and just how to play it.

"Ranger, what is going on with you? You are not acting like yourself and you are being very cruel towards Stephanie."

"What does it matter to you? Are you next in line once she gets rid of Morelli?"

"Ranger, what are you talking about? Steph is not going out with Morelli. They broke up months ago."

"Get back to work and stay out of my business."

Bobby walked out of Ranger's office and stopped by Steph's desk on his way to his office.

"Steph, let me keep working on Ranger about your job but in the meantime, I will pick you up at 7:00 and we'll go out and have a fun night."

"But what about what Ranger said about going out with any of you guys? I don't want to get you in trouble."

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it."

"Ok Bobby, I'll be ready."

The rest of the afternoon went off without any problems. When it was time to head home, Ranger was coming out of his office towards the elevator at the same time Steph was heading for it to go home. They rode down to the garage in silence and it was all Steph could do to not start laughing but she knew the guys on monitor duty would be paying attention.

Once she got to her car, she looked up to see Ranger watching her. He gave her a wink and small nod of his head and got in his car and left. She couldn't wait to get back to her apartment.

She was starting to unlock her apartment door, when it swung open and she was pulled inside. Ranger grabbed her and pulled in her for a long kiss. They were both breathless once they pulled away from each other.

"I didn't see your car so I figured I beat you here."

"I parked a few blocks away and jogged over so Bobby wouldn't see it in the lot when he gets here for your date. Where are you going with him tonight?"

"He didn't say, but I was thinking about suggesting that we get pizza at Pino's and maybe trying to get Morelli to show up too. I know he's involved as well, maybe not as much as the other guys, but he's involved. He's talking too much to me about my feelings for you. In the past, he never even wanted to hear your name, let alone help me get together with you. Let me text him and tell him I'm going out with Bobby tonight at Pino's but am worried about how the date will go since I am upset about work. I'll suggest he stop by to check on me without letting Bobby know why he's there."

"Babe, I think I have a perfect plan. Can you text me when you are eating and I'll make an appearance. Now, I think I have a way to keep you busy until Bobby gets here." With that, he pulled her into the bedroom and shut the door.

Steph jumped out of bed when there was a knock at the door. Ranger looked up at her and just grinned.

"Time to go out on your date Babe. You better go let him in and I'll stay back here."

Steph ran to the door pulling on her clothes. She was out of breath when she opened it up to Bobby holding a bouquet of flowers. She accepted them and took them into the kitchen to put in a vase.

"Thanks for the flowers Bobby. I haven't gotten any since the last time Ranger took me out on a date." With that said, she made herself tear up before she looked up at him.

"Steph, don't worry about Ranger tonight. Are you ready to go?"

"I just need to go grab my shoes and I'll be right out."

Steph went back into the bedroom and shut the door. Ranger grabbed her and plastered her up against the door leaving a trail of kisses down her face and neck.

"I'll text you as soon as our food arrives. See you later."

She headed back out to the living room, grabbed her bag and said goodbye to Rex. Bobby opened the door and they headed out.

"Let's go to Pino's and see how it goes and maybe we'll go dancing afterwards."

"Sounds good, Baby. Let me send Lester a quick text so he knows where I am in case I am needed tonight for work."

Bobby drove them to Pino's and they went inside and got a booth. A few minutes after they ordered, Joe walked in and looked around. He spotted them and hobbled over. He made sure to act like he didn't know they were going to be there.

"How is your knee feeling Joe?"

"It's starting to feel better. Rehab is helping and I should be cleared to go back to work in a few weeks. I can only stand so much at home time without going crazy. Can I join you while I wait for my order?"

"Sure Joe, have a seat." With that, Steph moved over and Joe sat down next to her.

Right before their pizza came, Steph excused herself and she walked into the restroom. She sent Ranger a text and told him that Joe was sitting with them while he waited for his order. She returned to the table and Joe asked her how work was going.

"The actual work is fine, but Ranger is making me wish I didn't work there anymore. I keep finding myself in situations with him where we're alone and he's impossible to deal with right now. I should just find a new job."

"What? What happened?"

"He's still upset about the other night when he brought me home and saw you there. He never gave me a chance to explain and now he's hardly talking to me. When he does, he says horrible things to me and accuses me of sleeping with his employees. I'm afraid to be near him without one of the guys nearby in case he does something."

Before Morelli could say anything, the door to Pino's opened and Ranger came storming in. He came over to their table and looked at them all sitting together.

"Couldn't decide which one for tonight?"

**Chapter 10**

Bobby jumped up, fuming with anger, and got into Ranger's face. Morelli looked like he wanted to bust one on Ranger's face. Steph had to turn her head and look out the window. She couldn't watch was happening because was trying not to laugh at what was going on. Both guys started yelling at Ranger at the same time.

"For god's sake Ranger, we are outside of work hours and you have no say on who Steph is with or what she does."

"Seriously Manoso, give it up. She's not your property, just like she's not mine. She's her own person and can make her own decisions."

Without a word, Ranger turned around and walked out of the restaurant. Steph saw him outside and he gave her a wink and got in his car and left. She turned around and looked at Bobby and Joe. They both looked upset. She decided to play it by ear and just let them dictate how the rest of the night would go. Their pizza was dropped off, along with Joe's take out order. He stood up to leave.

"I thought you were exaggerating about Ranger's attitude, but I can see that you weren't. I'm headed home, give me a call if you need to talk Steph."

"Thanks Joe. I think I'll just go home when we're done eating. I don't feel like doing anything else." With that, Joe hobbled out the door with his food.

"Step, let's figure out what to do after we done eating and maybe you'll feel better after you get some food in you. Besides, you promised me a night of dancing."

"Ok, Bobby."

After eating, Bobby talked her into going out to a club for a bit of dancing. He must have texted Lester, because when they got there, Les and Tank were sitting at a table and it looked like they were waiting for them to show up.

"Hey guys, how's your night."

"Not as eventful as yours it sounds like. You need to know that we would do anything for you and if we have to beat up Ranger, then we will. "

"Gee Tank, you sure know how to talk a girl. I don't want to talk about Ranger anymore tonight. Let's dance."

She pulled him out on the dance floor and once the dance was over, she was handed off to Lester and then finally Bobby. She decided to up the game and really got into the dance with Bobby. She kept running her hands all over him and gave him kisses all over his face and neck. She could tell that he was starting to react to the kisses and then she decided to take it one more step.

"Bobby, can you take me home? I don't want to be here with the guys anymore, I just want to be with you."

She had to give him credit, only a slight look of shock went over his face before he slammed down his blank face.

"Steph, I'll give you a ride home, but I think we need to talk about what's going on before anything else happens."

"Ok, let me hit the little girl's room and then we can leave."

Steph headed off towards the restroom when she suddenly felt the tingle on the back of her neck. Before she could turn around, her arm was grabbed and she was yanked into an empty back room of the club. Before she could say or do anything, she was pushed against the wall and Ranger was all over her, giving her one sizzling kiss after another.

"Babe, you smell like Bobby. What exactly where you doing out there?"

"Ranger, I was just making him think I wanted him. I didn't think you were the jealous type."

"Not jealous Babe, just making sure you weren't taking this too far with him."

"Best get back to my date, it's time to head for home."

Ranger gave her one last kiss and with a wink, he turned and headed out the back door of the club.

Steph walked back to the table, told the guys to have a good night, grabbed Bobby's hand and tugged him out of the club. She couldn't wait until he got her back to her apartment. During the ride home, her hand kept wandering on his thigh, and he kept pushing it away. He tried to not look at her, which was a good thing, because she was having a hard time not laughing at his reaction.

When the pulled into her parking lot, he helped her out of the car and walked her up to her apartment. He unlocked the door and gave her a gentle push inside, trying to stay out of her reach. She grabbed his hand and pulled him close to her, giving him a gentle kiss on his lips.

"You can come in if you want to Bobby."

"Oh I best be going Steph, work in the morning. See you there."

With that, he practically ran to the stairs and out to his car. She moved into the apartment and watched him from the window. He had his phone out and was talking to someone before he even got to the car. Before she could turn around, an arm curled around her waist and a kiss was placed on her neck. She leaned back into Ranger and sighed.

"What's the matter, Babe? Starting to rethink everything?"

**Chapter 11**

"I just feel bad for Bobby. I think I took it a bit too far tonight. I don't feel right doing this anymore."

"Babe, we can stop this at any time and just let the guys find out about us whenever it happens or we can just tell them. Personally, I'd like to see what Lester has planned, but if you don't want to play with them anymore, we can stop."

"Let's just see how tomorrow goes at work and what Lester tries to do and maybe we could tell them after he's done."

"Ok, we'll see what tomorrow brings. Right now, I have something in mind that I'd like to try tonight."

With a grin, Ranger led her to the bedroom and shut the door. Both of them forgot all about the guys. They were both sleeping soundly in the morning when Joe unlocked her door and walked in carrying a bag of donuts and coffees. He walked to the bedroom door and opened it. What he saw confused him, but he was smiling when he noticed Ranger looking at him.

"Kind of early for a visit, isn't it Morelli?"

"Apparently, I missed something from the time I saw you at Pino's until now. What's the deal?"

Ranger gave Steph a nudge to wake her up.

"Babe, wake up. We have company and I think we have some questions to answer."

Steph looked up at Joe and gave him a smile. She wanted to go back to sleep but saw the donut bag and decided to get out of bed.

While they ate donuts, well Joe and Steph ate donuts, they filled Joe in on what was happening. He gave them a smile and wanted to know what they were planning next.

"We're going to see what Lester has planned and then we'll eventually tell the guys. Please don't let them know before we decide to tell them."

Ranger went in to take a shower and Steph walked Joe to the door. He gave her a hug and told her he was happy for her and was glad that she and Ranger got their priorities straightened out.

"Make sure I get invited to the wedding." And with that, he left with a smile on his face.

Ranger and Steph headed into work, but Steph decided to drive around a few minutes to make it look like they weren't coming to work together. She knew the guys on monitor duty would be watching carefully to see how she and Ranger interacted today.

When she pulled into the parking garage, Ranger was heading towards the stairs and Lester was standing there watching her park. He came over to her and gave her a hug when she got out of her car.

"Beautiful, it's so good to see you this morning. You make the day more bearable, especially when Mr. Grumpy Pants is in the office. Come tell Lester all about your "date" with Bobby last night. You looked pretty happy when you left last night."

"I thought it went good, but once we got back to my apartment, he said goodnight and ran for his car. I think I must have scared him off. Men 2, Steph 0"

Lester knew that Bobby was scared last night, but only because it seemed like Steph was moving too fast and he had to get out of there before he forgot why he was with her in the first place. Lester had a plan in his head, but something wasn't feeling right about going ahead with it. He thought that Steph was too upset by last night and maybe he shouldn't do anything else.

Once Steph got to her desk, there was a note from Hector that he needed to see her so she headed to his office. She rarely had work to do with Hector so she couldn't image what he needed. She knocked on his door and he told her to enter.

When she walked in, Hector was sitting at his desk and Tank was sitting in his extra chairs. She looked from one to the next and had an uneasy feeling.

"Steph, Hector called me in here this morning and showed me something interesting he discovered by accident. I thought maybe we should share that with you."

"Ok, what is it?"

"Did you know that Ranger was following you the past few days? Hector noticed that every place you were at, Ranger was also there. He was even nearby when Bobby picked you up last night and he was also at the club and then back in your building when you got home. Did he cause any problems for you?"

"No, not one problem."

"Ok, I'm going to talk to him later this afternoon and see what he's doing. He seems to be turning into a stalker towards you."

With that, Tank headed out and left Steph and Hector alone. She started to leave and then Hector looked at her with a quizzical expression.

"I think you should have a seat for a few minutes. I know your secret."

**Chapter 12**

Steph opened her mouth to respond but didn't know what to say so she just closed her mouth and sat down. Hector smiled at her and started talking.

"I've been testing out a new tracking device for our phones and put one in Ranger's phone recently. I was able to track his location to within a 2 foot radius. He's been spending a lot of time in the same 2 foot area as your own signal."

He sat back and smiled at her, waiting for her to say something.

"Well, we work together, so that would make sense. We went to a client meeting together and had a surveillance shift together, plus his office isn't far from mine here at the office."

"Nice try gorgeous, but you and Ranger are busted. He's been in your apartment, Pino's and the dance club at the same time as you. Plus, I decided to back track on the videos and found an interesting one from the garage the other day when you both left at the end of the day. Ranger thought he had his back to the camera when he winked at you, but I don't think he remembered there is a camera on the other side of the garage as well. I don't think I've ever seen Ranger wink before, you know. So, what are you two doing with the three stooges and how can I help?"

Steph looked at him and realized she couldn't come up with any other excuses. It was time to tell the truth to Hector and she felt that Ranger needed to be here for this so she got out her phone and sent a text.

"If you can give Ranger a few minutes to get here, we'll explain."

Ranger came into the office and started talking to Hector in Spanish. Steph couldn't figure out what they were saying, but at first Ranger was angry sounding and Hector barked back a reply with a smile on his face. After a few minutes of chatter, Ranger started laughing and then sat down next to Stephanie.

"Ok Babe, we're busted. He was even able to figure out what you said to me that day on the mats at the end of our session. Apparently, nothing gets past Hector. He wants to help us get to Lester before Lester can spring something on us."

"What do you have in mind for Lester? Grandma Mazur duty?"

"Babe, I don't think anyone deserves Grandma Mazur duty. I think we need to get Lester and you alone and see what happens. Just act like you did with Bobby last night, but don't take it too far. Lester has always had a lust for you and he will react naturally before thinking about what he's doing."

"Let's get back to our desks and see what's up. He was acting kind of strange when I came down here, so I think he's going to act soon."

Steph and Ranger went back to work and tried to act like nothing was going on. Lester was watching as Steph sat back down and before she could get busy with work, he bounced up and started talking to her.

"Beautiful, how is your day going so far? Will you go to lunch with me today? I want to talk to you about a few things."

"Lester, I was going to go to gym and then eat lunch at my desk. Why don't I meet you at your apartment after the gym and we can eat there and talk without being interrupted?"

"Sounds good, see you there."

After Lester went back to his office, Steph sent Ranger and Hector a text that she was meeting Lester at his apartment for lunch.

The rest of the morning went by without incident and before she knew, it was time to head to the gym. When Steph walked in, Lester was almost done with his workout. He came over to her and told her that he was headed up to his apartment to shower and get lunch ready.

"Ok, Les. I won't be long, just want to run a few miles."

Steph managed to get a couple miles run before she had a plan worked out for Lester. She hopped off the treadmill and headed out to the elevator.

Ranger caught up with her at the elevator and when he got in with her, he turned off the video feed and pushed her against the wall and gave a long kiss.

"I've wanted to do that all morning Babe. What's your plan?"

"Lester is up in his apartment taking a shower and getting lunch together. I thought I'd go see if he needed help in the shower."

"What?"

"Don't worry, I'm not going to actually help him, just want to scare him a bit."

"Just don't make me kill him. My mother would frown upon killing my own cousin."

With a quick kiss, Steph got out of the elevator and used her key to open Lester's apartment door. She could hear the shower running so she quietly snuck into the bathroom and pulled open the shower curtain.

"Do you need any help Lester? I've been told I'm good in the shower."

"Beautiful?"

**Chapter 13**

Lester stared at her for a minute, gave a load groan and then yanked the shower curtain closed.

"I don't think I stuttered Les, do you want me to come in and help you in the shower?"

"Steph, just go wait in the kitchen please. I'm be out in a few minutes."

Steph left the bathroom and went to the kitchen and sent Ranger a text. It was all she could do to now start laughing out loud at Lester's reaction when she opened the shower curtain.

Lester came out a few minutes later all dressed, but with his hair still wet. He walked into the kitchen, looking anywhere but at Steph. He pulled some stuff out of the fridge to make sandwiches for lunch and grabbed two bottles of water. He put a sandwich together and pushed the plate over to her and set a bottle of water down next to the plate.

"Lester, what's going on? You seem like your upset with me."

"Steph, you just can't walk in while I'm taking a shower. I'm not wearing clothes in the shower. I can't talk to you when I'm naked."

"Well of course you're not wearing clothes in the shower. Did you hit your head today? You aren't making sense."

"Let's talk about your date with Bobby. What happened after you left the club?"

"I don't think he likes me that way, he practically ran out of the apartment once we got back. Maybe I need to look at someone else."

With that, Steph got closer to Lester and ran her fingers through his hair.

"I just love your hair. I've always wanted to run my fingers through it, it's so silky and soft. I love the way you smell after a shower. Your aftershave is very yummy smelling. It makes me want to do crazy things."

"Steph, we need to get back to work. Let's go."

Lester grabbed Steph by the arm and pulled her out of the apartment. It was all she could do not to laugh at him. They went back to the control room and when they got to her desk, she pulled him into a big hug and then gave him a soft kiss on the lips, all the while running her fingers through his hair.

"Thanks for lunch Lester, let's do it again soon."

Lester practically ran to his office and asked Lester and Bobby to come in for a minute. He told them what happened and they couldn't believe him. He pulled up the video from a few minutes ago and showed them what she did. They decided that Tank would talk to her and see what was going on with her.

They were walking out of his office and headed over to Steph's desk, when Ranger came storming out of his office. He stopped at Stephanie's desk and yelled at her to come into his office. She got up and followed him, trying to look like she was scared to go in there. The guys all stopped and just watched.

As soon as he shut the door, he started kissing her senseless. He wanted to know how she was getting through this without laughing or giving anything away. Before she could answer, there was a knock at the door. Ranger checked the feed and saw it was Hector. He went and opened the door and noticed that the three guys were still lurking around Stephanie's desk. Hector came in and sat down with a big smile.

"Nice job Gorgeous! You had Lester shaking in his boots. How much more are you going to do them?"

"Ranger, do you want to call it over and let them know what's going on?"

"How about you set up a going away party for yourself and I can crash it and we can come clean then."

"Sounds good to me. We can have it at Pino's after work tomorrow night. Hector, can you set up cameras to capture their reaction."

"Sure, I'll head down there at lunch and talk to Mr. Pino and see what he'll let me set up. Once he hears the reason, I'm sure he'll agree."

"Ok, time to face the guys again. Should I be crying?"

"Babe, just go out and let them know that I saw you hanging on Lester and just told you that your last day will be tomorrow. "

Stephanie left his office after giving him a big kiss and giving Hector a kiss on the cheek. She walked back to her desk and put her head down on the desk.

"Steph, what's the matter?"

"Tank, Ranger just told me that he saw me give Lester a hug and a kiss and that he's tired of me hanging over all of his men. Tomorrow will be my last day here working with you all. I plan to go to Pino's after work and drown my sorrows in beer and pizza. Anyone want to meet me there?"

"I'll spread the word to the guys. We'll miss you here Steph. Be sure to call us if you need help, we'll do it after hours so Ranger can't complain."

Word spread fast through the office about Steph's last day. When it was time to leave, she had been visited by almost everyone in the building. Steph closed down her computer and headed down to the parking garage. Bobby and Lester rode down with her, even though they live in the building.

"Do you want some company tonight Steph? We could come over if you don't want to be alone."

"Thanks, but I think I'll just go home and go to bed. The sooner tomorrow comes, then the sooner this nightmare will be over."

The guys headed back upstairs and met with Tank in his apartment. They were still stunned that tomorrow was Steph's last day. Sure, she'd worked off and on here for the past few years, but this time she'd been around for about a year and truly felt like their little sister.

Ranger snuck over to Steph's apartment and found her waiting for him. She grabbed him when he came in the door and planted kisses all over his face.

"Babe, we need to talk. I have come up with a plan, but I'll need your approval and help if you agree."

With that, Ranger and Steph talked for a couple hours and came to an agreement. They headed into the bedroom after locking the front door.

**Chapter 14**

The next day at work Steph had a hard time concentrating on her work. She knew that she had to play the part of the sad worker leaving, but what was to come at Pino's had her bouncing in her seat. The guys stopped by her desk all day grumbling about her leaving and how much they were going to miss her. Towards the end of her shift, she got a box and packed up the few personal items she had at her desk. Finally, it was time go. She got up from her desk and the guys came over to her, one of them grabbed the box, and another grabbed her arm and pulled her into the elevator.

"Wait, I should go turn in my keys to Ranger."

"Don't worry, Beautiful, I'll take care of it for you. Give them to me."

Steph handed over her keys to Lester and he took them to Ranger's office, barreling into his office without bothering to knock. Ranger looked up at the intrusion.

"What?"

Lester threw the keys on his desk and turned around with saying anything to Ranger. Ranger managed a small smirk on his face before putting the keys in his pocket.

Tank drove Steph's car back to her apartment and took her box upstairs and put it in her apartment. By the time he came back downstairs, Bobby and Lester were there to pick Tank and Steph up to go to Pino's.

By the time they got inside, the place was packed full of RangeMen. Steph couldn't help but tear up by the number of guys that showed up for the party. She started walking around, talking to everyone, getting hugs and kisses from the guys. She wiped away a few tears before someone pulled her into a chair and handed her a beer. The pizza was piled high on every table and the beer was flowing Mr. Pino came up to her, gave her a big hug and whispered in her ear that everything was set up just as she asked.

Tank cleared his throat and got everyone's attention after they had been there about an hour.

"Attention, we all know why we're here, but we're not going to dwell on it. Steph is our little sister and we will always be there for her, regardless of what the boss has to say about it. As tradition states, the staff member who is leaving must be subjected to a video montage of their greatest and lowest highlights. Hector, start the show."

With that, the window shades were all pulled down and the lights were turned off. The only lights showing were coming from the projector that was now showing up on the far wall of the restaurant. The way it was set up, everyone had their back to the kitchen and couldn't see the door so they didn't notice when it was quietly opened and someone slipped out and stood behind Steph, who was seated in the back row.

"Gentlemen, as you can see, we start with one of the first training sessions that Steph tried to do."

Tank went on to laugh and describe everything that was happening, and it ended with Steph's mat session with Ranger. When she finally kneed him and took him down, the guys were all in hysterics. They could see that she leaned over and said something to him, but the audio did not pick up the words.

"Beautiful, please tell us what you said to him…we've been dying to know ever since this happened."

"She told me something I once told her wouldn't be relevant if she had to meet me on the mats again."

With that, someone turned on the lights and everyone turned around to see Ranger standing behind Stephanie with a small smirk on his face. Steph glanced at him and then at Hector.

"Hector; please continue the video of my pathetic life."

The guys all turned back around and the lights were lowered, when the video started again. Tank was not sure what was going on because he put the video together and knew they had already watched the entire tape.

When the video started again, Ranger put his hands on Steph's shoulders and gave her a slight squeeze. She glanced up and gave him a small smile.

The video came back up on the screen and it went to a shot of Ranger sitting at his desk at the office.

"Gentlemen, I would like to thank you for all of your support and help to Stephanie during her time at RangeMan. I'm sorry to see the way it ended, but due to actions of her own doing, Stephanie Plum will no longer be working for me, nor will anyone of you be allowed to help Stephanie Plum in the future."

With that, the men started to grumble amongst themselves. Steph reached up and grabbed Ranger's hands, which were still on her shoulders.

"At this time, I would like announce that we have a new employee starting soon. This person comes very highly recommended and is very skilled at research and investigation. This person will be taking Stephanie Plum's spot in the office and I want you to make sure that they are welcomed and given the guidance that you have given Stephanie."

After this was said, Lester jumped up and started yelling at Ranger. The other guys started to chime in, but Lester was the most outspoken of the group. Hector had stopped the video and looked at Ranger for confirmation to continue.

"Everyone sit down and shut up. Hector will continue the video and when it's over, I will answer any questions you might have."

Hector started the video up again and this time Stephanie came up on the screen.

"Hello to all of my RangeMen. I wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed working with all of you, even when you gave me the grunt work to do. The help you have given to me has allowed me to increase my skill levels and improve on my work. I still don't like gym time, but I'm trying to learn to like it."

That got a few chuckles from the guys and a smile from Ranger.

"As Ranger stated before, Stephanie Plum does not work for RangeMan anymore, but if you would all stand up and push the tables to the side of the room and gather around, Stephanie Manoso would like to officially join the RangeMan family and start work. I hear there's any opening in the office."

The video ended and there was dead silence. The lights came on and everyone was sitting there with their mouths hanging open. Ranger pulled Steph out of her chair and into his arms. He dropped a kiss on her head and looked out at the guys.

"Babe, I think you broke them."

**Chapter 15**

Once the guys figured out what she said, and noticed how she and Ranger were standing with their arms wrapped around each other, chaos ensued. They were all coming up and hugging both her and Ranger and giving their congratulations. The three stooges were all standing together and looking at Steph and Ranger without saying a word. Steph walked over to them. Once she got there, none of them could speak a complete sentence, they were all sputtering random words, not making any sense.

"Guys, I'm sorry for the past few days. I hope we didn't hurt you with what we did, but we figured out what you were doing during the surveillance shift. We ended up talking about everything, deciding we wanted and came up with a plan to get back at you. I hope you can forgive us, especially me, with how I acted towards you."

"Beautiful, you got us. I sure didn't expect this, but am very happy for you."

"Baby, are you sure about Ranger? I thought you liked my strong muscles."

Steph started laughing and turned toward Tank, who still hadn't said anything to her. He looked at her and gave a smile.

"I am happy for you and Ranger. I'm glad my plan was the one that helped you figure it out."

With that, Lester and Bobby started to argue with Tank about whom had the better plan and Steph walked over to where Ranger was standing. By this time, Steph and Ranger's families and friends had arrived and were helping Mr. Pino set everything up for the wedding.

Joe came hobbling into the restaurant and wanted to know if he was in time. Steph told him he missed the video, but shared the guys' reactions. Mr. Pino came over and announced everything was ready to go.

Steph walked into the restroom and changed into the dress had been dropped off earlier. Her dad was waiting for her when she came out and handed her a bouquet of wildflowers. He walked her to the end of the aisle and waited for a moment for Steph to say she was ready to start. She looked down the aisle at Ranger, standing there waiting for her with a big smile on his face. She also noticed that Hector was in place to broadcast the wedding to Julie in Miami and other family members and the control room at RangeMan.

She told her dad she was ready, and they started to walk down the aisle that the guys had created with the chairs and with a kiss to her cheek, he handed her off to Ranger. Ranger grabbed her hand and pulled her to him, giving her a kiss. Lester yelled out from the crowd that he couldn't do that yet, and with a glare at Lester, Ranger let her go and just held her hand.

The ceremony started and soon it was time for their vows. They choose to write their own vows and Steph was sure she wouldn't get through them without crying.

"Carlos, you are my Batman. You are my everything, the love of my life and the man of my dreams. I can't image my life without you in it. You are my best friend and I'm so grateful that our lives collided together when they did. You gave me purpose and direction. I vow to be there every day for you, through good times and bad times. I don't think I knew what love was until I met you. I am so proud of you for all that you are, and am proud to think of what is yet to come. I vow to think about going to the gym with you a few times a week and I vow to not eat as many donuts as I do now. I vow to be your everything, even if you think I buy too many shoes. I am so happy and excited to become your wife today. I love you so much and can't wait to expand our family and grow old together."

"Babe, you are my light. Before I met you, I was content with the direction my life was headed. The day I got a call to help a new bounty hunter, my life turned upside down and I'm so glad it did. You are the love of my life, my everything. I am proud of the woman you are and am excited to see what comes next for us. I vow to be there every day for you, through good times and bad times. I vow to get you to the gym often and I vow to limit you to one donut a day. I vow to be the best husband I know how to be and I vow to let you buy as many shoes as you want. I can't wait to see what the future brings us, and whether we expand our family or not, I will be happy, as long as you are by my side. I am excited to become your husband today and I love you so very much."

By the time the vows were done, both of them had tears running down their cheeks. They each wiped the tears away from the other, smiling the entire time. The rings were then exchanged with a pledge from each to always love each other the only way they know how…truly and completely.

When it was time for the first kiss as husband and wife, Ranger didn't even wait for the official to finish what he was saying before he pulled her into his arms and with an exaggerated dip, gave Steph the kiss to end all kisses. The crowd in Pino's let out big cheers and whistles. Eventually, Lester yelled to hurry up and end the kiss. The crowd laughed but Ranger shot him another glare. Stephanie just laughed at Lester, stuck her tongue out at him and gave Ranger another kiss.

Their friends and family crowded around them, giving out hugs and kisses as well as well wishes. After an hour of talking to everyone, Ranger pulled Stephanie to the center of the room. He pulled her into his arms and gave her a kiss that had the guys cheering for more. He nodded to Hector who started the music so they could have their first dance together. As soon as Steph heard the first few notes of the song, she started to cry.

"I can't believe you found the perfect song for us."

"Only the best for you, Babe."

Friends and Lovers - Gloria Loring & Carl Anderson (1985)

What would you think if I told you  
I've always wanted to hold you  
I don't know what we're afraid of  
Nothing would change if we made love

So I'll be your friend  
And I'll be your lover  
'Cause I know in our hearts we agree  
We don't have to be one or the other  
Oh, no, we could be both to each other

Yes, it's a chance that we're taking  
And somebody's heart may be breaking  
Ooh, but we can't stop what's inside us  
Our love for each other will guide us

So I'll be your friend  
And I'll be your lover  
'Cause I know in our hearts we agree  
We don't have to be one or the other

I've been through you  
You've been through me  
Sometimes a friend is  
The hardest to see

We always know when  
It's laid on the line  
Nobody else is as easy to find

So I'll be your friend  
And I'll be your lover  
Yes, I'll be your friend  
And I'll be your lover

'Cause I know in our hearts we agree  
We don't have to be one or the other  
Oh, no, we could be both to each other

**Chapter 16**

2 years later ---

Steph sat on the couch looking at the photo album from their crazy, but absolutely perfect, wedding. She could hardly believe it has been 2 years since they managed to pull one over on all of the guys, especially Tank, Lester and Bobby. Those three men had become the best friends she has ever known. They fought over who would be her partner and she ended up setting up a rotating weekly schedule, just they wouldn't fight about it anymore.

Ranger came in the apartment and handed her a bouquet of wildflowers, similar to her wedding bouquet. She gave him a long kiss and when it ended, he gave her one his brilliant smiles.

"What a welcome home, maybe I should leave and come back in again?"

"Happy Anniversary! I can't believe it's been two years."

"Babe, it's been the best two years of my life. I was an idiot for so long, but so very happy now."

"Well, I hope to make you happier."

With that, Steph handed him a small box. He opened it, looked up at her, and with tears in his eyes, gave her a kiss and then another one of his smiles.

"Babe, I'm so happy."

"How are we going to tell the guys? You know they have to be the first to hear it or we'll never hear the end of it."

"Feel like another party at Pino's?"

"I''ll call Mr. Pino right now."

Ranger went back to his office and sent an email to all staff that there would be an after work meeting at Pino's the next day. He planned to have Hector set up the video for the other offices so they will hear the news, as well.

The next day after work was over, all of the guys went to Pino's. They were somewhat surprised that Ranger would have the entire staff out to eat. Sometimes he could cover a round of drinks if they were out at a club, but never anything this big. Even the "going away" party for Steph two years ago was paid for by all of the guys.

Steph and Ranger arrived and got the party started. Pizza and beer were flowing and then Ranger stood up to make an announcement.

"Gentlemen, Steph and I wanted to get everyone together to help celebrate our two years of marriage and also to celebrate how successful the company has become with Steph in charge of the bond enforcement division. "

The guys let out a cheer and held their glasses up for Steph. She smiled at all of them and sipped her glass of water. None of them seemed to notice that she wasn't drinking beer.

"Now, it's time to start the entertainment of the night. " With that Lester stood up and started to take off his shirt, while Bobby started whistling for him.

"Lester, sit down and put your shirt back on. None of us want to see that. Hector worked on this video for me and now gentlemen, and Babe, here are the highlights, for some, and the lowlights, for others, of the past two years."

Hector turned off the lights and started the video. Everyone was laughing and almost falling off their chairs watching the video. There were some great moments, including the surprise wedding that started the video, and ended with yesterday's confrontation between Tank and Grandma Mazur in the gym. Tank had previously volunteered to teach some of the older members of the community some basic self-defense. Yesterday, Grandma Mazur tried to kiss Tank while he was demonstrating and he was still flustered about it.

When the lights came back on and everyone settled down, Ranger stood up and started talking to everyone again.

"One last announcement and then back to the pizza and beer. Steph will be working only in the office starting yesterday and will not be allowed to work out in the field for any reason. Also, I am asking for some volunteers to help with some remodeling work in our apartment."

That caused a small uproar from the guys and some started yelling at Ranger. Only Hector sat and smiled at her. He figured it out and held up his glass to her in a silent toast. She smiled and returned the gesture with her glass of water.

Ranger turned and pulled Steph up from her chair.

"Babe, I think you better take over, they're not listening to me." Steph gave a loud whistle and looked out at the guys.

"Guys, everyone sit down and shut up."

"I know you think Ranger is not being fair about pulling me from field work, but I asked him to do it. I also asked him to remodel part of the apartment so please try to help us with that project. It's a lot of work, but it will be worth it in about 7 months."

"Beautiful, first, we don't think you'll survive being at a desk full time. Actually, we don't think that we'll survive it. And, second, we might not be expert carpenters, but it won't take us 7 months to remodel your apartment."

Just, then Bobby and Tank caught on and both gave Lester a slap on the back of the head. Steph and Ranger just stood and laughed at the three of them.

"Hector, please finish the video. I added one last shot."

The lights went back out and then a shot of a baby sized RangeMan shirt that said "Coming Attraction" showed up and the guys let out a roar that shook the windows! The guys started coming up and hugging both Steph and Ranger. The three stooges once again, stood in the background and smiled. Steph and Ranger eventually made their way over to the guys. They all gave out hugs and kisses for Steph.

"We're going to be uncles. " Lester stood with a goofy grin on his face.

**Chapter 17**

The "Coming Attraction" made its presence known within a few weeks in the worst way. After weeks of dealing with extreme morning sickness and weight loss, they finally had an answer - Hyperemesis Gravidarum. Ranger had already taken Steph to the ER twice for dehydration but now that they had an answer and some hopeful remedies, things were starting to look brighter.

By around week 16, Steph was finally feeling normal again and was back to work. The guys seemed relieved that she was able to tolerate food again and was back at her desk. Nothing can come close to seeing approximately 20 muscle bound men turning green and running from the room every time Steph pulled out her trash can.

One day, Steph was working at her desk and she felt off. She didn't want to worry Ranger, so she headed to Bobby's office to have him check her over.

"Hey Bobby, you got a minute?"

"For my favorite pregnant coworker, of course! What's going on?"

"I just feel off today. I don't think anything is wrong with the baby, but wanted you to check us out."

"Do you want me to call Ranger?"

"No, check me out first and then depending on what you find, we can decide."

"Ok, let's start with your blood pressure."

After a quick run through of her vitals, Bobby reassured her that everything seemed okay.

"Let's take a listen to the baby's heartbeat and see how she's doing."

Steph smiled at him because he called the baby "her". Each of the guys had their own thoughts about the sex of the baby and would call it either "him" or "her". She gave up weeks ago trying to remind them that they didn't know the sex.

Bobby got out the Doppler and was able to find the baby's heartbeat quickly. It was strong and that made Steph feel better.

"Well, she sounds good. How exactly do you feel "off"?"

"My stomach feels all fluttery and jumpy, like butterflies are having a party."

"Steph, that's the baby moving around. You're starting to feel her move."

With the Doppler still picking up the heartbeat and the fluttery feeling happening at that moment, Steph started to tear up and had a few tears roll down her cheeks. Before Bobby could say anything, Ranger stepped into the room.

"I thought I heard my little one. What's going on? Are you okay Babe?"

"Ranger, Steph is starting to feel the baby move and wanted to make sure everything was okay. I checked her and the little one out, and they are both doing great."

Ranger put his hands on her belly and bent down to give the baby a kiss. Then he leaned up to give Steph a kiss and wipe her tears away.

"Babe, are you tired? Do you want to go upstairs and take a nap?"

"No, I can go back to my desk and finish up work for today."

Ranger helped her down from the exam table and thanked Bobby for his help. He walked Steph back to her desk and left her with a kiss. She was just getting back into work but kept rubbing her stomach with a big smile on her face.

"Hey Beautiful, what's with the silly grin?"

"Les, I'm starting to feel the baby move around."

Once she said that, Lester knelt down in front of her and pushed her hands off of the baby and put his hands on her, hoping to feel a kick. The other guys saw what he was doing and came over to see if they could have a turn.

"Guys, I'm the only one that can feel it right now. I promise that once Ranger can feel the kicks, then I'll let you have a turn."

"We'll hold you to that promise, Steph. This is probably the closest most of us will come to being a father."

Steph looked up to see Ranger standing in his doorway watching what the guys were doing. She gave him a big smile and told the guys that her day was done. She walked over to Ranger, grabbed his hand, and pulled him towards the elevator. On the way, she told Tank that they were off line for the rest of the day. Smirking, Ranger picked her up and carried her up to the apartment.

"Babe, you can tell the guys to back off if you are uncomfortable with them."

"Ranger, they don't bother me. This baby is going to have about 20 overprotected uncles, but I don't want to talk about it right now. Just shut up and kiss me."

Ranger carried her into the bedroom and gave her one of his megawatt grins and that was last anyone saw of them that day.

**Chapter 18**

By week 30, Steph was big and was starting to get uncomfortable. The baby was growing rapidly and each time they had an ultrasound, she made them show her that there was only one baby and not two or three. They decided they didn't want to know the sex of the baby, wanting to be surprised at the birth. The guys really stepped up to help her at the office, without Ranger having to ask for any help.

Soon after they told the guys about the baby, they came up with plans to expand the apartment on the 7th floor and add another two bedrooms and bathroom. They wanted the baby to have its own room, as well as a room for Julie when she came to visit. The guys did a great job fixing the apartment and they even surprised Steph with the baby furniture. Thankfully the room was painted a soft yellow and not army green and brown!

Steph wanted to attend Lamaze classes and made Ranger go with her. Ranger, in turn, made Bobby go with them. The classes went well and Steph even made it through the video of childbirth. Bobby, however, passed out before it was over. Ranger and Steph laughed at him the whole way home that night with Ranger threatening to make him watch it over and over until he didn't pass out. He was their emergency back up in case they didn't get to the hospital in time.

Soon, week 40 came and went. Steph was getting pissed that the baby wasn't here yet.

"Ranger, why won't this kid come out? I'm so miserable feeling."

"Babe, this kid is part you and you are very stubborn sometimes, what do you expect? I'm sorry you're miserable. How about I go get you some ice cream?"

"Ranger, that sounds great. Can you send one of the guys up to stay with me while you're gone so I'm not alone?"

"Sure Babe." With that, Ranger left and a few minutes later Lester was knocking on the door.

"Beautiful, I hear you're ready to get rid of the big guy and run off with me!"

"Lester, I can barely get up out off the couch, I don't see myself running anywhere. Help me up, please."

"Anything for my favorite girl. How about you show me the nursery again so I can see what else you've bought for the kid."

Steph started walking towards the nursery when all of a sudden she felt a sharp pain in her back that took her breath away. Lester grabbed onto her as she started to falter and made her sit back down.

"What's the matter? What happened?"

"I think I just felt a contraction. Shit, that hurt. I better start timing it until the next one hits."

Within about 3 minutes, the next contraction hit, hard.

"It's too fast, it's not supposed to be this fast. Call Ranger."

Before Lester could get his phone out, there was a huge rumble of thunder and a crack of lightening outside. Within seconds, the power went out and the apartment went black.

"Lester?"

"Stay calm Steph, it's just the storm. The generator should kick on in a few seconds."

Soon the lights came back on and Lester's phone started ringing.

"Boss, we need to get Steph to the hospital. She's having contractions about 3 minutes apart."

Before Ranger could respond, there was a loud clanking noise and then a lot of swearing.

"What's going on?"

"Lester, Bobby and I are in the elevator and it just got stuck. Let me talk to Steph."

"Ranger? Where are you? I'm in labor and it's going too fast. I'm feeling a lot of pressure and have the urge to push. I don't know if I'll get to the hospital in time."

"Babe, put Lester back on the phone."

"Lester, she feels like she needs to push. You need to stop her from pushing until Bobby or the ambulance can get there."

"Um, Boss? I don't think that will be happening, her water just broke."

Bobby grabbed Ranger's phone and told Lester that he needed to talk to Steph.

"Hey Baby, what's going on?"

"Bobby, get up here, where are you? I need you."

"Hold on and don't push! I'm stuck in the elevator with Ranger, but the control room is calling an ambulance for you. Please don't push. Where are you at in the apartment?"

"I'm in the bedroom now, laying down. The pressure lessens when I lay down instead of stand up."

"Ok, that's good, just try to relax and we'll be there soon. Give the phone back to Lester."

"Lester, you might end up having to deliver the baby if we can't get there in time. Ranger is working to get out the emergency hatch, but is having problems. We're stuck between the 6th and 7th floors. Try to keep Steph comfortable and calm. We don't want her pushing until someone gets there. I need to have you check to see how far she's dilated. "

"I don't think so man. Do you know where I'll have to look for that? I don't want Ranger to kill me."

"Lester, you have to do it. Ranger just ordered you to do it."

Lester turned to Steph and told her what Bobby said. She made no comment, just looked at him and told him to do it.

"Ok, she's ready to get checked. What do I do?"

Bobby told him what to do and how to measure and he turned green and closed his eyes. Steph looked at him and told him that if he passed out, she would wake him up and kill him. She also told him to open his eyes before she blinded him for real.

Just as he was starting to check her, Tank came bursting through the front door and ran into the bedroom. He took one look at Steph on the bed, Lester between her legs and passed out.

"Great, our back up arrived and he's down for the count. Steph is all the way dilated. What do we do?"

"Put the phone on speaker so Steph can hear me too. Steph, when the next contraction starts, you need to bear down and push. We'll be there as soon as we can; it shouldn't be too much longer. Lester, when you see the head starting to crown, give a holler and we can talk through what to do next."

Tank started coming around and sat up on the floor. He looked at what was going on and before he could pass out again, Steph grabbed his arm and pulled him towards her, just as another contraction hit. "Get over here and help me. "

"Bobby, what's your status? I'm starting to see the top of the baby's head."

There was no reply and Lester asked again. Still, no response. Lester looked at Tank, who looked at Steph. Before anyone could speak, the front door was slammed open and Bobby and Ranger came charging into the bed room.

"Babe, are you okay?"

"Ranger, I need you. Get over here."

Bobby pushed Lester out of the way. Tank and Lester stepped back and let Bobby get to work. Ranger crawled into bed with Steph and got behind her to help hold her up while pushing.

"Ok Baby, next contraction push as hard as you can. The head is almost out. Tank, get the mirror off of the counter in the bathroom and hold it so Steph and Ranger can watch."

A couple of big pushes later; the baby's head was out. Dark, curly hair was on abundant and the baby had the cutest nose. Lester pulled out his phone and started taking pictures and Tank just stood in amazement, holding the mirror. Steph started to cry and Ranger just stared at the mirror.

"Steph, one more big push for the shoulders and then we're almost done."

A few minutes later, the shoulders were out and then one more push and baby was all the way out. An exhausted Stephanie lay back on top of Ranger. He leaned down to kiss the top of her head and they both had tears running down their faces.

"Congratulations you two. It's a boy! A very big, beautiful boy!" Bobby had wrapped the baby in a towel that Lester pulled out of the bathroom and laid the baby on Steph's chest.

"Babe, you amaze me. He's perfect, just like you. Still want the same name?"

"Ranger, he's beautiful. I think the name we picked out fits him perfectly. Guys, meet Ricardo Dominic Manoso."

**Chapter 19**

By the time the paramedics arrived, the living room was full of RangeMen. The paramedics went into the bedroom, checked the baby over and then turned their attention to Steph. Lester had gone into the nursery and came back with a diaper, clothes and a blanket for the baby. Carlos carefully dressed the baby and wrapped him in the blanket.  
“I’ll be right back Babe. I need to go see the crowd in the other room. The low rumble is started to get louder and I know they’re chomping at the bit for information.”  
He walked out to the living room with the baby in his arms. The guys were all talking to each other and no one noticed Ranger had walked out with the baby. He cleared his throat and got their attention. They all turned and stared at him.  
“Gentlemen, please meet your future CEO of RangeMan, Richardo Dominic Manoso. Dom, these are the guys. Don’t let the tough guy appearances fool you, they’re very gentle and scared of you.”  
Ranger stood quietly holding the baby and let the guys crowd around him, looking at the baby. Tentative fingers reached out to fluff his hair or touch his face. The guys seemed in awe looking at Dominic.  
Hector was the first one to reach out and take Dom out of Ranger’s arms. Smirking, Ranger cocked an eyebrow at him, but let Hector take the baby. Who would have thought the big, bad, gang member loved babies?  
“Boss, how’s Steph? Are she and the baby okay?”  
“She’s getting checked out right now, but everything went good. Faster than normal, but good. She’ll get a ride to the hospital, along with Dom, to get checked over and then hopefully, we’ll be back home.”  
A few minutes passed with Hector holding Dom and pushing away the other guys who tried to take him away. Steph came out, helped by Lester and Bobby. She went over and took the baby from Hector, which earned a few chuckles from the guys. “Mine.” Hector gave her a kiss on the cheek and whispered something in her ear, which cause her to smile.  
“Ok, guys, we’re off to the hospital for a checkup and hopefully we’ll be back home in a few hours. Ranger, can you grab my bag and the car seat? Lester, can you drive the SUV so we can get home?”  
“Sure thing Beautiful! I’ll meet you there.”  
Ranger helped her and Dom to the elevator and turning back to the crowd in the living room, waved Dom’s hand at the guys.  
They stopped for a quick visit to the control room so the guys who couldn’t leave the monitors could get a quick peek at the baby.  
Ranger climbed into the ambulance after Steph and Dom were loaded and sat beside her.  
“This is one time that I don’t mind seeing you in an ambulance Babe. Hopefully, it will be a short visit and then we’ll be back home.”  
Steph looked up and smiled at him. Dom was falling asleep, one hand holding Steph’s finger and the other hand holding Ranger’s finger. One of the paramedic’s snapped a picture of it, smiling. He said he would send it on to Ranger, it was just too cute to not capture.  
Once they got into the hospital, it was a few hours before they were discharged and sent home. Steph had the option to stay overnight, but she just wanted to get back home and get settled in. Lester was in the hallway waiting for them and drove them home.  
Ranger had been making calls to family and friends and when they got home, they were overwhelmed with flower arrangements and balloons. Apparently the news went screeching through the Burg and the control room had a stack of messages from well-wishers for them. Ranger took them as they went by on the way upstairs.  
Once they got into the apartment, Ella was waiting in the kitchen for them. She cooed over Dom, gave out hugs and kisses to Ranger and Steph, and showed them how she had filled the refrigerator with food for a few days. Ranger had told her that they didn’t want any visitors for a few days so they could have some time alone with Dom. Ranger made a few more calls, including one to Julie, who was beyond excited. She couldn’t wait to visit and see Dom. Ranger went and locked the door and headed into the bedroom, where he found Steph and Dom sound asleep on the bed.  
He picked up Dom and put him in the bassinet that had appeared in their bedroom while they were in the hospital. He kicked off his shoes and climbed into bed with Steph. He was just falling asleep when Dom started fussing. He got back up, picked up Dom and checked his diaper. One diaper change later, and he was waking Steph up.  
“Babe, Dom’s awake and needs to be fed.” Yawning, she sat up and reached for the baby. With a little help from Ranger, Dom started nursing. Steph let out a few choice words at the beginning, but eventually, both mother and baby, got the hang of what they were supposed to do. Both of them fell back asleep while nursing and it was up to Ranger to get them situated again. Back to the bassinet went Dom and Ranger once again, climbed into bed with Steph and started to fall asleep.


End file.
